Wafer-cutting machine.



P. M. PETERS.

WAPER CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV, 25, 1905. 1,016,439v Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

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P. M. PETERS.'

WAFER CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25, 1905.

Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

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RM., PETERS.

WAFER CUTTING MACHINE. APPLIOATIONFILBD Nov. 25, 1905.

Patented Feb. 6, 1912,.

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1.1 l l l I l l l|lll F. M. PETERS.

lW. AFER CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. z5, 1905.

lPatented Feb. 6, 1912.

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FRANK IVI. PETERS, 0F CHICAGO7 LLINOIS.

WAFER-CUTTING MACHINE.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

)Patented Feb. d, 121m..

Application led November 25, 1905. Serial No. 289,121.

To all whom t may concern:

lBe it known that I; FRANK M. PETERS, a citizen of the United States; residing at Chicago, in the county ot Cook and State ot llllinois, have invented certain new and use- '.tul Improvements in Water-Cutting Machine-s, ot which the following is a specification.

My present invention Vpertains to im* provements in machines for severing large sheets' of bakery products, and especially those delicate and brittle sheets which comprise two or more thin cakes secured together by intermediate layers of icing, into a number of wafers of the proper size for packing and use. Such wafers are generally made in large sheets and then subdivided by longitudinal and transverse cuts into wafers of convenient size. y

My invention relates to these cutting machines and includes7 among other specic features recited in the claims, a table, a series ot rapidly revolving saws or Glitters, a number of feeding fingers reciprocating on y the table and between the cutters to feed the large sheets between the cutters 0r saws, and means to hold the sheets in place while being operated upon by the cutters.

An improved form of receptacle to receive the separated wafers and to hold the same in place to prevent warping or the parting ot the baked crackersor sheets from the adhesive icing also forms a part of my inventical transverse section of the same; Fig. l3

is a side elevation ot the same; Fig. 41 is a partiallongitudinal vertical central sect-ion* ot the machine; Fig. 5 is a tragmentarysee tion on the line 5-5of Fig. 6; Fig. 6 is Ia fragmentary cross-section onthe line 6-.-`6

et Fig. 5 with the. saws and shaft in elevation; Fig. 7 lis a detail view of one' of the posts. whlch support the shield overv the saws,

or cutters; and Fig. 8 is e transverse section of the receptacle for receiving the severed wafers.

The cutting machine comprises two slide frame members 10 and 11 which are spaced apart at their upper portions by the trans` verse bolts 12, and at their lower portions by the plate member 13 whose downwardly extended ends 14 are secured to the side frames by bolts 15. A flat table top 16 is pivoted at 17 to. one end of the supporting trame so that by lifting the table top ready access may be had to the cutters and other' or cutters 19 which are mounted below the table top on a transverse shaft' 20 rotatable I in bearings 21. n electric motor 22 supported on the transverse platform 13 rotates shaft 2O and its saws 21 by means of shaft 23, pulleys 24 and 25, and the connecting belt 26.

Mounted outside of the endmost saws 19 are a plurality of upstandingposts 27 the lower end of each ofwhich is screw-threaded at 28 (Fig. 7) to engage a threaded aperture in the table top. Each post is shouldered near its upper end at 29 and supported 0n these shoulders is a curved metallic shield 30 covering the saws to protect the operator from injury therefrom. Shield 30 has a shouldered bushing 31 (Fig. 7) tted over 4eaeh post 27, and between vthe nut 32 on the threaded upper end of each postv27 and the bushing 31 is interposed a small spiral spring y33 .which 'tends to hold the shield against the shoulders 29. Secured to the opposite edges of shield 3() by means oi screws 34 Fig. 1) are a plurality of metal strips 35 (Figs. 5 and' 6) which extend substantially parallel tothe face of the table top between the series of spaced saws19.. The strips atv their outer ends are turned upwardly `slightly at 36 as shown most clearly in Figs;

3,4and5. A'

Within each .of al pair ,of slots B7 the table top at the outer side of theendmost saws 19 is mounted a metalfshield and guide 38 curved at the upper edge as Shown in Fig.' 5 and .having-along thebaekportion o" I its 'upper edge a curved guiding Han e 39. These shields' prevent the entrance o anything SidWise into'the heid .of operation of le the saws, acting in conjunction with the top shield to form an almost complete closure for the saws except at the vfront and back.

Extending longitudinally of the table top a and 'on its upper surface is a groove 40 within which neatly ts and reciprocates a bar 41supplied near one end with a stop 42 and at its other end with a transverse bar43 as shown in Eig. 1 Attached to the table top by means "of screws or bolts 44 and extending over bar 41 is a fixed stop 45 having a rubber cushion 46 on each of its opposite sides, the movable stop 42 and transverse bar 43 cperating therewith to limit the forward and backward movement of the feeding' mechanism of which the bar 43 forms a part. An operating handle 47 is mounted 011 the bar 43 by means of curved brackets 4S. Projecting forwardly of the bar 43 and secured in recesses on its under surface'are a plurality of pushers 49 which are spaced apart and are of such .a width as to pass be-` tween the gang saws 19. Each pusher 49 at its front end is supplied with an up- 2'5 standing finger 50 of a height substantially equal to the distance between thel face of the table and the under surface of strips 35. An angle guide and stop 51 is mounted on the table top adjacent to these reciprocating pusher lingers on the front partr of the machine as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Back ofthe saws the table top is slightly recessed as at 52 (Fig. 4) so as to receive a .metal receptacle 53 in such a manner that the upper surface of its bottom 54 will be substantially in the same plane as the top surface of the table. The receptacle 53 has an open end 55 which faces the saws and for a cover it has a removable board 56 equipped with two oppositely disposed and laterally projecting slotted metal ears 57. On each side of receptacle 53 below the ears 57 is a bolt 5S pivoted at 59 and supplied with a nut 60 having a handle 61. vEach bolt 58 has a stop 60a (Fig. 8) adapted to strike against the side of `the receptacle and limit the downward turning of the bolt thereby preventing interference between the same and the reciprocating stop 42 on bar 41.

The operation of the device is as fol` lows z--Assuming that motor 22 is rapidly rotating the saws or cutters19, a bank or stack of wafers which may have previously been cut transversely into strips is pushed laterally onto the table top against the stop Y or guide 51, vfingers 50 having been prevlously drawn backward to the limit of their movement so as to allow space for this introduction of material to be cut. The

60 handle 47 with the attached pusher fingers 5,0 is then pushed forwardly by hand, being guided in this movement by bar 41 sliding 1n roove 40. The strips or wafers are subdiv ed by means of the saws and pushed into receptacle 53, as shown in Fig. 4, pushers 49 with their upturned ends or fingers 50 'travelingtbetween the saws and up to or perhaps partially within the open end of receptacle 53. Strips 35 prevent the wafers from riding upon one another or otherwise becoming displaced. The extreme side strip. of the wafers abuts against guide 51 and both this strip and the corresponding strip on the other side, after they have been severed by the outermost saws are guided downwardly by means of the curved inclined anges 39 of shields 38 so as to drop into a receptacle or box 62 mounted beneath the table top, which box also receives the crumbs created by the sawing or cutting. After the wafers have been introduced into the receptacle 53 in this manner the cover 56 is placed on-top of them and held in position by means of nuts 60 on bolts 58 which are readily turned by their handles g5 6l. The filled receptacle 53 is then removed from the table top and its contents are allowed to dry, the cover preventin the warping of the wafers or the separation of their parts. A new receptacle is then placed in the recess 52 and the same 'is filled by the same operation which has been described above. In this manner a series of receptacles are quickly filled with wafers which are of the same size and which all have clean and neatly cut edges.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a table having a series of spaced longitudinal slots in its top, aplurality of spaced disk cutters mounted beneath said table top and projecting through said slots, means for driving said cutters, a longitudinal guiding groove extending substantially the full length of the table top, a baradapted to reciprocate in .said groove,

a fixed stop extending over said guidin groove, a coperating stop attached to sai bar, a transverse bar attached to said guiding bar extending transversely of the table top and also adapted to coperate with said fixed stop, a handle attached to said transverse bar, a plurality of forwardly extend, ing feeding lingers attached to said transverse bar, a plurality of shouldered posts projecting from said table top, a shield over said cutters normally resting on said shoul` ders, springs pressing said shield against said shoulders and a series of strips attached to said shield disposed between said cutters and adapted to rest upon the upper surface of the material operated upon to prevent displacement thereof, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the character' described, 125 the combination of a longitudinally slotted table having its upper surface depressed at its delivery end, a series of spaced disk cutters mounted to revolve through the slots of said table, means for driving said cutters,

a series of reciprocating feed :fingers slidablv mounted on said table and adapted to ush the materie operated upon against an be- 'tween said cutters, and e removable receptacle seatedin .said depressed end portion oi said table and having an cpen end toward said cutters, the inner surface' of the bottom Wadi of said receptacle being Hush Withthe upper surface of said table and said fingers serving to push vthe strips of out material 10 without obstruction into the open end. of seid receptacle, substantially as described.

FRANK M. PETERS.

Witnesses:

H. H. HUNGERFORD, N. HAssn'r'r. 

